Vermont Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy filed an amendment on Tuesday to immigration bill that is currently under review on the Senate floor.

Leahy's amendment would support bi-national same-sex couples by allowing gay U.S. citizens to sponsor their foreign spouses for green cards, which would allow them to stay in the country as permanent residents.

Leahy previously withdrew the amendment when the bill was being debated in the Senate Judiciary committee after Republican Senate members threatened to walk away from the entire immigration bill if the pro-gay amendment was included. Key votes from Senate Democrats were lost as a result.

Now it's a question of whether Leahy's proposed amendment will receive a vote--and, of course, whether there are enough votes for it pass. The amendment will need 60 votes to pass.

Leahy said in a statement, “Seeking equal protection under our laws for the LGBT community is the right thing to do. I withheld my anti-discrimination amendment during the Senate Judiciary Committee markup. As the entire Senate turns to debate the immigration bill, the fight for equality must go on.”